VW may be facing around $45 billion in fines from the U.S. government

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- Based on the numbers given in a complaint against Volkswagen, the automaker may face a fine in the area of $45 billion over violations of the Clean Air Act from its installation of so-called defeat devices in its diesel cars. The $45 billion number is an estimate since the Justice Department didn't specify how many vehicles were sold before, and after, Jan. 13, 2009; the latter date triggered higher penalties. The MarketWatch calculation was derived from the 580,000 vehicles the U.S. says VW sold that violated the law. The Justice Department didn't immediately return a message seeking that data.

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